>shit just got real.$130/hr - $150/hr for a mechanic, nawbro. I hath enter the brotherhood of the smoke.Who smokebro here?
>>2881839You smokin shit dawg?
>>2881860smokelet, pls go. somewhere else.
>>2881839is this for raves?
Blower door test?
>>2881866yup.
>>2881866no, its toxic smoke, its for pressuring automotive lines to check for leaks. Its like car exhaust but smoky.
>>2881839That Icon machine seemed overpriced for the same shit they have on Amazon for like half the price.>tfw you need next day shipping from Prime and the only option for <$75 is this Chinesium with 2 reviewsThe thing works ok but it comes with an air compressor type regulator, which is really fucked up because most of them come with a propane grill style regulator. I think those are like 1 bar maybe, while the included one is 10 bar and an easy way for an ignorate weekend wrencher to explode their evap system.I should’ve been more patient and waited for an Autool or whatever yellow or red machine they sell that probably comes from the same factory as the Icon for half the price,>>2881872It’s baby oil or mineral oil. It’s not toxic
>>2881839Most mechanics just smoke Reds but you do you man.
>>2881898>It’s baby oil or mineral oil. It’s not toxicok, cool, still though.>>2881898>The thing works ok but it comes with an air compressor type regulator, which is really fucked up because most of them come with a propane grill style regulator.I don't see the problem, you work the dial and get the pressure you want.>>2881898>That Icon machine seemed overpriced for the same shit they have on Amazon for like half the price.have you seen good one's? This is mechanic-tier and those run $1700 on amazon.>Sure, I *could* generate smoke for $75, but the pressure dials are the bomb, you know instantly if you are holding or leaking.
>>2881912>I don't see the problem, you work the dial and get the pressure you want.Because the average person doesn’t read instructions. The regulator on the one I got is an order of magnitude higher than what it should be. If a normie threads on some adapter and cranks the regulator halfway up, they’re putting 75psi+ of air pressure into a system that’s normally under vacuum. I’m going to bet that you will have additional leaks after doing that.>have you seen good one's? This is mechanic-tier and those run $1700 on amazonThis is how Harbor Freight tricks dumb people, my making them think the only other option is $1700 on the rape vans, but the Snap On truck is incredibly overpriced for what you get, mainly because those inflated advertised prices are factoring in straight to your workplace delivery and discretionary franchisee discounts that any regular customer will get. It’s an outdated system.>$550 for the IconGoddamn that’s expensive. I forgot how much it was, I just remember seeing the price when it was first released and thinking it’s overpriced a bit. If you go on Amazon, there’s tons of options for $50-$75 if you have an air compressor, and some of the cheap ones even have air pumps. To get one with the flow meter and all the features of that Icon, probably more like $200.Harbor Freight has been pissing me off with that stuff in recent years. They got rid of a lot of their real cheap one time use tools for weekenders and added more expensive options. It’s still not as good as the tool trucks often, but it looks attractive to techs who are used to Snap On prices. And for weekenders who might need the tool twice a year, Amazon will have the same quality as Maddox for less, and they also have the super cheap Pittsburgh-tier stuff HF used to sell, but it might take 2 days to get and you’re going to overpay for the Maddox if you need the car fixed today because it’s still cheaper than paying for shop labor.
>>2881914>Maddoxsure, if you want cheap chinee, you can get cheap chineeHowever >>icon detects leaks as small as 0.01 inches. I like the quality of icon, it will pay for itself on isolating repair work I'm diy'ing.
>>2881914>>2881912I mean picrel is one option on Amazon from a company that has been making decent diagnostic tools for some years now and it’s $200. I don’t know why the Icon is $550, maybe they overpriced it a bit because smoke machines are hard to find locally and if a mechanic needs a smoke machine today and Amazon takes too long or there’s boomers who don’t know Amazon exists, that price is still so much better than the tool trucks. Or maybe the $550 has to cover all the scumbags who will buy it and use it once and then return it, so one paying customer covers 2-3 who return the thing half full of mineral oil after fixing their car.I’m not trying to shit on you for getting the Icon, I’m genuinely confused why it’s priced so high because most of the Icon/Maddox stuff isn’t 2x-3x what the real competition costs.
>>2881917See >>2881918The one I got is cheap Chinese. Maddox and Icon come from the same factories as the rest of this stuff. There’s a lot of very similar machines from known brands that aren’t no-name Chinesium for like half the price or less of the Icon.I feel bad, I’m not trying to make you feel bad about the purchase because $550 + tax aint cheap. I guess the Icon comes with a UV light that an Ancel buyer might need to spend an extra $10 on over the $200 they paid for the smoke unit ($249 - $49 coupon!)For closer to the price of the Icon from these brands, you get like a fully digital pelican case enclosed unit with programs depending which system you want to test. The Icon looks just like all the ~$200 models. And Icon test equipment isn’t like buying Fluke or Snap On where there’s a reputable name behind it.
>>2881918ok, the Ancel S3000 is $230 (lowest price)and its half the size of the icon. don't know, but i expect the icon to last forever for $550. it best. I'm not returning it like a dick.
>>2881919I hear you and no problem, but explain this then...$1700 and looks like icon, which is a heavy unit.
>>2881921Why would you compare it to some outlier specialty company instead of consumer stuff? I wonder if that’s a company that contracts with the gov’t or something because that’s a ridiculous price for a little vaporizer and air pump with a flow meter and pressure gauge. Like they’re not super complcated machines which is why the Icon’s price surprised me when it first came out.Like if you go no-name brands, you can get units with a flow meter and built in compressor for <$100.I think you’re coming up with justifications. It’s ok, that Icon has a USA flag on it so maybe it’s contracted to a reputable manufacturer. HF also sells Icon chisels that are made by Mayhew and the original Mayhews actually cost less.>>2881920The post of a man trying to rationalize after he realizes he may have overpaid for his smoke machine lol.My shitty chinesium smoke machine is heavy too because you need a decent little pressure vessel where that baby oil gets turned into steam. And you might be wrong about the sizes. I’d bet they’re real close in size, like the $200 Foxwell and Ancel compared to the Icon. The fuckin Icon product page is a shopped pic that’s as bad as the no-name Chinese $80 Amazon models as well which makes me chuckle.
>>2881898>I think those are like 1 bar maybe, while the included one is 10 bar and an easy way for an ignorate weekend wrencher to explode their evap system.this video seems to answer that concern: https://youtu.be/HC2iL3aY9Zg?si=rWgulUHJgogeJK7V&t=801
anyway, I was just able to smoke check my turbo intercooler with icon, did what I needed it to do.
>>2881927I’m not watching that whole video. I was complaining about the one I got, but at the time it was the only option I could get the next morning on Prime. The 150psi regulator was cheap chinesium being cheap. When I opened the box and saw that gauge, I was like “wtf?” I knew it was a gamble because the listing only had like 3 or 4 reviews. They put a 150psi regulator on it because it was cheaper than putting the proper ~15psi regulator on there like every other smoke machine has. But the ones with the proper regulator would take longer than 12hrs to be on my doorstep. I should’ve had patience because there’s lots of little ~$100 guys on Amazon with a proper regulator plus a flow meter.The one I got still works. It came with lots or attachments and blows tons of smoke so I can relate. But it would be dangerous in the hands of somebody who didn’t know that 100psi+ is way too much for an EVAP system. Unless maybe they’re sold for guys who want to pump it into AC systems.
>>2881929Damn I just realized that Icon requires a compressor? That kinda sucks. I thought it had an air pump for that money. Picrel is ~$90 for any weekenders who want an evap tester.
>>2881930my brother in Christ, the Icon can do a number of jobs outside of evap, which justifies the bigger smoke bladder and pressure
>>2881898>I think those are like 1 bar maybe, while the included one is 10 bar and an easy way for an ignorate weekend wrencher to explode their evap system.Let's correct this assumption, a smoke tester of any sort only puts 1 PSI max into the system its testing, its not a pressure tester, it is only creating low pressure smoke... that's it... it won't kill any system. It will simply put the volume of air needed (at up to 1psi is enough to see the smoke)
>>2881939>>2881932Actually looking at it…The gauge on the Icon is a 1psi gauge, so that’s like an evap test for a system that is normally under vacuum.If it does higher pressure, somebody who has actually used it can explain it. The gauge is a 1psi gauge and that makes sense for an evap tester.Lots of other smoke testers do like 1 bar testing max, so the on board pump can do 1 bar, or the air compressor coming into it is regulated at 1 bar max, and I think they suggest some extra regulator for that low pressure control. This model >>2881930 has the green up to 1.5 bar or like 22psi, probably good for testing intakes and whatever systems that could leak.My retarded model, the only one I could find same day on Prime at the time for <$100, has a goddamn typical air compressor regulator for the output. It’s not 1psi regulated like the Icon and other evap-specific machines, nor is it 1-2 bar regulated like many other models that can test all sorts of systems. They stuck the cheapest possible air pressure regulator on there and since a plastic air compressor regulator like you would use on a paint gun was cheaper than a 1 bar propane type regulator, the machine I got is kinda dangerous for people that don’t know it will put 150psi of smoke into your gas tank if you crank the gauge.>>2881932Anon, I think you are still trying to justify your Icon purchase with stuff you don’t understand. My chinesium smoke machine will do way more pressure than the Icon, and that’s not a good thing.
>>2881965>>2881939Here’s the typical 1psi grill type propane regulators… which makes me want to buy one and try to adapt it to my shitty machine.But lots of machines will do more than that. Maybe you want it to if you’re smoke testing turbo systems, but that’s 1-2br and not my stupid 150psi model. I’m not 100% on it, only used mine mildly, which is why I’m still asking why anybody would pay $550 for the Icon. But obviously anon who bought the Icon has done less research on the things than I have because his attempts to justify it have been things like “It’s high pressure!” and “It feels heavy and the jpeg of the one you posted doesn’t feel as heavy!”
>>2881965Kek this is great. Picrel is the Chinesiumi got but mine is blue. Just saw the pic of the regulator on this new model going from 0 to 1.0 so they try to make you think it’s 1.0 bar or 1.0psi like a proper smoke machine. That regulator is 1.0mPa, which is nearly 150psi. So it’s the same cheap air tool regulator with a different scale printed on there.
What is inside these to make the smoke? Heating coil or a ultrasonic transducer? I have never seen the need for a smoke machine, but maybe I just havent had the right problem pop up yet. Usually a leak is easy enough to identify by looking and feeling around on the hoses.
>>2882001This one >>2881967 is pretty much a heating element around a wick. Can’t speak about anon’s Icon that costs twice the price of the competition.
$550? I WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO FIND VACUUM LEAKS WITH A 50 CENT CIGAR AND YOU CAN ENJOY THE CIAGR WHILE YOU WORK
>>2881965>Anon, I think you are still trying to justify your Icon purchase with stuff you don’t understand. My chinesium smoke machine will do way more pressure than the Icon, and that’s not a good thing.yep, got it.
>>2882012you fucking nogger, I've seen that Scotty Kilmer bullshit, and he is a joke. He's laughed at by anyone respectable.
>>2882042I've done it lol. Depends on where the leak is though. Usually can find it by pvc pipe up to ear and/or spraying shit. He's not too bad.
>>2881839Hope it works well for you. Icon makes some good shit. Lots of people crying here about your purchase. Fuck em. Live your life. Bunch of nobodies talking garbage.
